An information processing system processes information in accordance with control information, such as executable instructions to be performed by a processor of the information processing system. An external memory provides corresponding instructions and data that are buffered within an internal memory of smaller size. Loading the instructions and data to be processed by the information processing is performed under an operating system (OS) that controls this processing. Since the performance of an information processing system can be affected by such loading, especially by the order in which different portions of the information are processed, the granularity of these portions, and the interactions between hardware and software to perform the loading, an efficient approach for the scheduling of these operations is needed. Another important aspect is the observation of the processing of these portions, by providing a matching observation granularity (equal to a portion size or aligned with portion boundaries) and without imposing extra overhead for this observation. Such a capability may also be used for other purposes since the portions of the information to be processed can be selected according to varying criteria, not only for the purpose of specifying a unit for the loading of instructions and data.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items. Different reference symbols are used in cases where a different viewpoint of the same item is being described, e.g., conceptual viewpoint vs. implementation; in this case, the relation respective difference is provided in the descriptive text.